The chronicles of Luke the Rotund.

[lukepeter]

95.0kg today - Exactly where I wanted to be post re-carb following my PSMF stint.

I am very glad to be done with it, and have upped intake to 2000kcal for the foreseeable future (I will not be very restrictive whilst on leave in Aus over the next two weeks, but still mindful of what I am gobbling).

Progress pics for the last 4 weeks:


I am happy with the progress made, despite seeing a scale weight gain over the last week I am leaner, and my love handles are finally receding a little.

I am at the stage where people are now shocked by my appearance, and not in a good way - being used to seeing fat luke makes them react strangely when faced with my (admittedly somewhat gaunt) face. Its not something I am particularly worried about, I am still plenty fluffy with no danger of being underweight or dangerously low bodyfat for a long time still, but I do get a little tired of people telling me I need to stop losing weight now, or when individuals who have no business weighing in on the matter tell me that the only way to lose the last bit of fat on my abdomen is to do lots of cardio and do situps, or cut out carbs etc.

I missed leg day yesterday, I had a fathers day function at school with my son. It was great having a bit of fun with him in that setting, and it was grand being a "fit dad" for once

[lukepeter]

3 muscle ups today. That's a new one for me.

[JSim83]

Progress is looking good Luke! Abs clearly more visible and better defined in the "after" picture.

[lukepeter]

Back from holiday, and sadly back onto the straight and narrow...

98kg this morning, not excessive damage considering that I pretty much ate as I saw fit for the last 16 days... Will see how things look next week once everything is stabilised.

I did continue running while I was over there, and it went well. 5km time down to 27 min, I am confident that I will get through the warrior race comfortably this weekend.

Lifting is another tale altogether... First day back in the gym yesterday, and for my sins, it's leg day😁 After two weeks off, the doms is tremendous. I am going to struggle to walk today and I imagine for the next 3 days also. Hopefully all stiffness is gone by race morning on Saturday.

Back on the horse, nose to the grindstone, pedal to the metal etc. Hope you all have been getting it done in my absence.

[lukepeter]

Warrior race was this Saturday past.

I was inadequately prepared...

the 18km run really slaughtered me (retrospectively, this should have been obvious considering the longest I have run up to this point is around 5km). The obstacles (there were 30) were far more reasonable given my current strength levels, but the final ones were just brutal and I ended up doing burpee penalties for them. I did the run in worn out old shoes in anticipation of ruining them, which was a mistake... the distance, coupled with the shoes and terrain, led to my left ITB being damaged a little, It will be a couple weeks until I can run or do leg day again (oh no!)

Before and after pics of my crew below.



As an aside - I have eaten pretty badly over the last week under the broad brush of "carbing up" for the race. I probably ate more than was justified, but such is life. Schedule returned to normal now, lets see how much discipline remains post holiday.

EDIT: Our time was around 3.5 hours - a little longer than I had hoped, but still alright considering it was our first ever OCR.

[ON3M4N]

95.0kg today - Exactly where I wanted to be post re-carb following my PSMF stint.

I am very glad to be done with it, and have upped intake to 2000kcal for the foreseeable future (I will not be very restrictive whilst on leave in Aus over the next two weeks, but still mindful of what I am gobbling).

Progress pics for the last 4 weeks:


I am happy with the progress made, despite seeing a scale weight gain over the last week I am leaner, and my love handles are finally receding a little.

I am at the stage where people are now shocked by my appearance, and not in a good way - being used to seeing fat luke makes them react strangely when faced with my (admittedly somewhat gaunt) face. Its not something I am particularly worried about, I am still plenty fluffy with no danger of being underweight or dangerously low bodyfat for a long time still, but I do get a little tired of people telling me I need to stop losing weight now, or when individuals who have no business weighing in on the matter tell me that the only way to lose the last bit of fat on my abdomen is to do lots of cardio and do situps, or cut out carbs etc.

I missed leg day yesterday, I had a fathers day function at school with my son. It was great having a bit of fun with him in that setting, and it was grand being a "fit dad" for once

Amazing to see how far you've come from when you started. You're crushing it Luke, keep up the good work.

[Imp81318]

Hey Luke, just checking in for a progress/life update...

[lukepeter]

So. After a long absence I have returned.

Not much to say really - I have been unable to run since the warrior race as a result of damage to my left ITB during the event itself, I tried a few times after what I thought was reasonable rest, it wasn't apparently.

For about 7 weeks after returning from Australia my diet was horrible, complete lack of discipline and exhibition of uselessness - I settled at 106kg I did continue consistently through this time, and I made some strength gains, which is a silver lining I suppose.

As of last weigh in I am at 104kg - and somewhat unhappy about it. Now its time to re-lose the rest, and find some measure of balance. I think the prolonged PSMF stint may have contributed to my undisciplined diet thereafter, so moderation is the cornerstone of my diet moving forward. Moderation and patience. Neither of which I possess in excess..

that is all.

[anashine]

It's all good. Sometimes life gets like that. What matters is that you're through that season and can make a fresh start.

I had a similar thing in July and August, but something snapped in me ten days ago.

So, welcome to a brand new cycle You can win this - slow and steady.

Btw where in Australia were you?

[JSim83]

Good to hear from you Luke! **** happens, sometimes we fall of the wagon, but good thing is that you are back on track now.

[PeteDenmark]

Hey Luke.

Glad to see you are doing good. A 9 kg weight increase is not that bad.

PSMF is tough. I have tried it, and it feels like a full time job to keep busy, as to not focus on the hunger. I would maybe do it again for at week to break a plateau, to keep motivated, but for more than that, it just messes with my head.

I hope to start my log again, since life happened, and i gained 20 kg's. Aiming to lose it again in 4 months.

[lukepeter]

So, I guess its time to get back on the horse...

This is an unpleasant post to author, since its going to contain a before and after picture that seem like they are in the wrong order...

As of my last update above, I was at 104kg - I am now at 111Kg. Obviously my last sally into the overrun breach was unsuccessful at stemming the tide of energy that I was determined to force down my grateful gullet.

The peak of my current relapse was 117,6kg, on 26 December 2018, so over the last 5 weeks I have grudgingly dispatched 6.6kg. If I take the before date to be 13th of June 2018 (pretty much peak form for me...) my before and after photos are as below:
Before:
Current:

Its not easy for me to look at those photos and not bludgeon myself, both mentally and physically, for the effort and discipline wasted as a result of not having enough ****s to give to do what I knew was the right thing and be a reasonable human being.

Doom and gloom aside - here I stand again, much less to lose than last time, and the learning curve is non-existent (until I get back to 95 ish and need to adapt to maintain). Routine posts will re-commence here, and I look forward to some more back and forth with the "Gang"

Training has been pretty consistent for me, I was only really inconsistent for a few weeks around Christmas (I skipped a whole lot of leg days ) but for the most part I have continued my lifting unabated. I have lowered the weights I am moving, as was recommended to me by Pete so long ago, in an effort to spare my tendons and joints constant pain. I have put a limit on bench to 97kg, basically three sets with the first two being ten reps and the third to failure. Deadlifts are not going heavier than 110kg, and squats will be capped at 100kg (when I get there, at around 85kg currently for 3x10).

_________________________________
Pete, you asked for a shop tour, I cant really provide one at this point, my workshop is a pile of random tools that I re-arrange for specific projects (the next being my improvised table saw - which is going to be the primary tool that I use to produce a decent workspace for the pile of timber and plywood i recovered from my plant last year) I will provide updates on the table saw build and subsequent cabinetry as they happen.

I still need to build the square for my fence, I also struggled to find tube dimensioned as most online sources prescribe, so I just decided to use what I had on hand - we will see how it turns out.
This is how I intend my garage (the dirty workshop) to look (at this point):


The bench in the middle will have the table saw and router table built in, possibly some fold-able extension wings... I really want a decent jointer, It will make my proposed manufacturing much easier as I am going to have to combine router sled and table saw edge jointing to make my laminate bench tops, but I work with what I have, my shooting hobby gobbles tool money for ammo, and my wifes determined efforts to make our home lovely somehow supersede my tool buying in priority I keep on telling myself there is till time, I am young - patience will yield an awesome workshop (like yours) in time.

At this point, I am absolutley taking suggestions as to layout and necessary space for expansions (jointer, dust collector etc) - I think I will build a hotwork shop somewhere outside for my smithing, and I have a space I am kitting out for my "clean workshop" for electronics work and reloading/gun stuff.
And this is the mock of of what I intent as the bones of the fence...:

[PeteDenmark]

Man - you look way better, than i had imagined from the way you described your "relapse". You carry your excess weight well, which is of course also a problem, since if you look kinda "normal" in the mirror with clothes on, there is no immediate incentive to snap out of a negative spiral .
6,6 kg in 5 weeks - that is hardcore. I'm guessing you are hovering around 1800-2000 cals a day? Even if your rate slows down a bit, you'll be back at your desired weight pretty rapidly. Ok - maybe the last 5 kg before you hit the 95 kg will fight you a bit, bot those are also the vanity kg's. You would look and feel fine around 100 kg .

Admire the fact that you can still motivate yourself to do 4 a week lifting sessions, and what you consider leight weights, are my one rep max now .
As previously mentioned i really don't like lifting, so i'm one of the people who would benefit greatly from a training partner to keep me motivated, and also to spot my lifts, since failing lifts are a bit more risky at my somewhat advanced age. But unfortunately the people who train here in rural Sweden falls in 2 categories. The ones that seem to use medical assistance to gain muscle, who feels it's ok to drop the deadlift bar from height at each rep, and then people who do zumba. Finding an equal minded lifter in either of those groups is likely. So for now i consider it a success if i get 15-18 sets in 3 times a week.

Your shop setup seems efficient, and is also a very personal preference thing. In my shop it was important to be able to both rip and crosscut 122x244 cm sheets at the table saw, plus room for lumber storage and a mitre saw station, which forced the way the shop was setup in a lot of ways, since i only have 35m2 of heated space.

The collapsable wings never worked for me. Either they are up all the time, a being a vertical space, they will be filled with stuff in no time. Or they will be down, and stuff on the floor will prevent them from being raised . I prefer a dedicated outfeed table, with storage under it, which will force me to move stuff, when i have to make a long cut. Using a table saw, where you have to hold the material down while pushing it through the blade, and simultaneously having to hold it down, so it doesn't cantilever over the back edge of the saw always felt a little unsafe, and also made for more unclean cuts.
One thing i noticed in your plan, is they fact, that there isn't a spot, where you have vacant floorspace at a wall. So when you cut longer work pieces, or have other materials that are longer than what fits on a shelve, you don't have a place to lean them against a wall, which means they will end up being leaned against you shelving unit. Another reason to free up floor space near the walls is the dust collector, that you will definitely want at some point. I achieved getting extra wall/floor space, by hanging my shelves on the wall, and having a bench with drawers under them.
Again - this is a reflection on how i work, and maybe you have a separate shed to house materials, and a completely different need than i do.

[janivl]

Your progress is insane Luke. I've been away from these boards for about 1.5 years and I'm surprised you're still going strong. The relapse sucks, I know all about it, but you're in a totally different position than when you just started of course. You've got a lot less to lose and you know what works for you, both mentally and physically.

Keep us posted man!

[lukepeter]

Update time.

It was my wife's 30th last weekend, and as you can imagine it was filled with cake and amazing food. No typical Luke over indulgence, but I certainly didn't loose weight over the weekend

Training is consistent, but I am really feeling weaker than I should on 1800 to 2000kcal (good guess Pete), and my fatigue is lasting longer than normal (though to be fair, my normal over the last 6 months is really well fed...)
My gym partner had a pretty serious injury (brachial plexis) that has had him out of action for about 5 months, his return has really helped with my consistency and work rate when I am at the gym. Group adherence is powerful, and sharing goals with someone that you get along with is a really good tool for making progress.

You live in an isolated forest in the country Pete, you don't get to live the ideal wild man subsistence life and bitch that your training partner selection is restrictive

I did a little more work prepping steel for the fence T square components last night, and I am reminded why I typically have things Lasercut, cutting through 10mm 3CR12 plate with a 115mm grinder is tedious My belt grinder has had lots of good work time at least, I find the 30grit belt really cuts excess material quickly. What is the shelf life of your belts out there? mine are around 8 years old, and the cheaper ones are failing on the joint after minimal service (unfortunately all my 80 grit belts are of this variety, so I now jump from 30 to 180... maybe time to buy some new belts...). My little girl (almost 3 now) makes a point of coming in to tell me I am being too loud, and pointedly picks up my ear muffs and puts them on

[lukepeter]

Your progress is insane Luke. I've been away from these boards for about 1.5 years and I'm surprised you're still going strong. The relapse sucks, I know all about it, but you're in a totally different position than when you just started of course. You've got a lot less to lose and you know what works for you, both mentally and physically.

Keep us posted man!

Welcome back Jani

I know there's less to lose, and that I know what works for me now, but its still a daily struggle keeping the borderline self loathing at bay that comes from what I really think may be a food addiction relapse. Serious talk for a Monday afternoon...

[lukepeter]

Lifting:

This simply will not do... I am 4 weeks into regular 4 a week lifting, and my lifts are not what I would describe as massively challenging, but I have really significant DOMS.

I suspect it has to do with really slowing things down and squeezing every mm out of my ROM for each rep (the lighter weight seems to dictate that I do this). It's almost like I don't have to lift really heavy for my muscles to grow who would have thought...

_______________________
Projects:

More progress on the table saw fence T yesterday - Steel components profiled and ready for welding. It's the first time I am welding stainless to mild steel - the 309L electrode is really pleasant to weld with. I find that my work output, while not massively impressive, has improved significantly by keeping a short hour long time slot open for garage work after the kids are tucked in. I seem to need a somewhat rigid schedule/system to be a productive human being, as my natural tendency is to be lazy
______________________
Diet:

Following my weekend festivities I am 1 kg heavier than I was last Wednesday, I suspect less than 100g of that will stick. Still frustrating seeing the scale move in the wrong direction, even if it was expected.
My wife tried a nicely put together meal plan for the last few weeks, with something delicious and unique every day. The food was great, and the variety was pleasant, but meal prep time was killing us (making a specific breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, and somehow trying to balance my macros at the same time...) I am returning to my usual plan, getting macros from simple (to me delicious) foods that I can prepare in bulk.

[Imp81318]

I don't know about you, but I find that I actually enjoy working with a slightly lower weight and being able to squeeze out those last mm's of each rep more than working heavier and risking stopping my ROM just a touch short.

Is your garage attached to your house? My kids' bedrooms are immediately above my garage so I am unable to run power tools or bang too loudly after they go to sleep at night. Plus, frankly, by that point in the evening my laziness overtakes my desire for productivity and I end up not accomplishing anything even if it doesn't require making loud noises. Another factor for me is that I do not have a dedicated workshop space - our cars consume the entire available space in our 2-car garage and our entire basement is finished - so every project I undertake requires parking at least one of our cars outside for the duration of the project and right now that means having to scrape ice off windows in the mornings which my wife does not appreciate.

[PeteDenmark]

Yay for lower weight, but really squeezing and concentration on the mind muscle connection. Even if i like a PR as much as the next guy, i thoroughly enjoy the fact, that i can in fact get a very decent workout in, without being on the ragged edge of what my joints and fibres can take. Connective tissue take WEEKS to recover, so if you actually get those sweet DOMS with lower weight, even being in pretty good muscular shape, is a very good indicator that you are doing something right. Good job man.

What kind of welder are you using. I'm not schooled in welding lingo, so can't quite make out if you are stick welding or tig welding? Would LOVE to own a DC TIG welder, but can't justify the cost.
How is the workshop tour coming along? At least some pics.
Also - do you use some kind of CAD program to plan your build, or are you winging it? I use sketchup, since it was the only free option when i started using CAD, but now i wish i could use Fusion. Maybe i will dive into it some day.

Regarding belt life, i have stopped using the cheap belts. I buy mine from a nice guy in England, that makes custom length belts, as long as you buy 10 at time, and it is not very much more expensive than the cheap stuff. So i wear the ceramic belts down, until there is no aggregate left on the belt .
I have however spliced my own belts, with that fiberglass tape you use between drywall. You need to remove the adhesive on the tape with acetone, and use epoxy instead. But i have made belts with this method, and they hold up.

What an awesome wife. It's really tricky to meet the protein macros, and still have room for making the dish "bulky" enough to give the sensation of a full meal, and making it taste rich, while still staying within the calorie allowance. So kudos to her for trying.
My wife can't really comprehend why and apple, a couple of carrots, or a slice of bread isn't "free" calorie counting wise, so she gets frustrated when she tries to prepare something nice . So we are sticking to the basics as well. Lot's of chicken as the backbone, a predetermined amount of veggies, and after that, there is maybe 500 calories to freestyle .
My wife got the idea, that even though it's winter, we could still barbecue the chicken, so we actually had to go to 4 different stores to find charcoal. We succeeded, and had a great time this afternoon, sitting in freezing temperature, grilling a weeks worth of chicken, and a lot of vegetables . A OMG what a difference it makes to the taste.

You seem to be right back to the mindset you had the last time you lost weight - that is great Luke.

[lukepeter]

It makes sense to lower the weight, less risk of injury, lower tendon load, all wins.

I have two garages, and a third small room attached to the house, but kind of like the bottom leg of an "L", I can't do anything excessively loud in the evening (no circular saw or angle grinding) but belt grinder and drill press etc are fine. More out of consideration for my neighbors than for my kids, they are excellently sound sleepers.

Both my cars sleep outside, no snow or ice here, ever - so the Mrs. doesn't really complain.

[lukepeter]

I am using a little 160A dc inverter stick welder - its been a faithful little thing over the years, light and easy to move around, and cheap (around 100$). I do have mig and Tig envy, one day when I am big I will get a decent high frequency combination machine.

I barbecue as much meat as I possibly can, it make minimal mess and the smoke adds a lot to the flavour. My current favorite is grilled chicken breast, liberally smeared with danish feta, and a few dollops of sweet chili sauce. I savor every salty delicious mouthful

Haha, the idea that veggies are not simply free from energy is always a hard one for non IIFYM eaters... Having freestyle calories is actually a really good way to go about it, I just have to watch myself carefully so I don't over run them.

__________

I have decided I am going to build a adjustable shooting rest/gun vise for my next steel project - it should be less than three months until my licence is approved for my AR, and In order to develop a suitable load I will need a stable shooting platform to assess accuracy, and not risk shooting hole in the chronograph. Rifle re-loading is new to me, so the rest is something I have never needed until now... sigh, one more project for the "in progress" folder.

[PeteDenmark]

MIG welders are great - even my economy model. They don't improve your welding skills all that much, since it's pretty much a glorified metal hot glue gun. But if you have the settings right on the welder, even the ugliest of welds are strong enough, the benefit of which i enjoy . TIG is a whole different animal, but i would love the control you get with that.

Could you describe in detail with weight and everything, what a typical days worth of meals look like for you? My biggest "problem" is the fact, that i like to have something starchy with my proteins, in order to feel full. I enjoy a chicken salad a lot, but no matter how many varieties of greens i use in it, i feel hungry after. So for my main dinner meal, i alway have to make an allowance for 3-400 cals of pure starchy goodness, and make it as bulky as possible. Like 250 grams of mashed potatoes, filled with mushrooms, chili, cabbage, and of course chicken. If i could cut out the starch, it would give me a lot more room to play with. Like 250 grams of strawberries, with 100 grams of low fat yogurt and stevia is only 100 cals, and is a very satisfactory snack both taste and bulk wise .

An adjustable gun rest sounds like a pretty doable project, for a man of your talent, but i can see that time constraints because of obligations to the family is a factor. Especially if the rest should be more than just "good enough", but actually something you will want to keep, and enjoy using in the long term.

[lukepeter]

My days food varies quite significantly, I do my best to be respectful of my macro minimums, (getting between 140 and 160g protein, and 50-80g fat) and then eat whatever takes my fancy for the gaps...

Yesterday was 4 eggs (with some ketchup) for breakfast
Whey shake for lunch

2 carrots, and 2 biscuits for a snack when I got back from work

shrimp stirfry for dinner (300g stirfry mix, 200g shrimp, 80ml soya sauce, 40g honey, and garlic and ginger, 80g olive oil), half a pack of 2 min noodles with 15g of cheddar and some tomato sauce (my daughter requested noodles and then didn't finish them )

evening snack: one lettuce, three marshmellows, 30g almonds

Copious quantities of coke zero...

Macros : 146g protein, 152g carbs, 64g fat - for a total of 1731kcal.

That's pretty much how it goes, consistent breakfast and lunch (either eggs or chicken breast for breakfast, shake for lunch), with a wild mix of whatever is going for dinner, with protein being doubled or tripled from whatever the rest of the family is eating (we will make chicken ala-king with rice, and I will throw an extra 3 grilled breasts into my bowl)

[janivl]

I always marvel at how much cheaper chicken is in some countries compared to mine. The price for supermarket chicken breast (which is the lowest quality chicken money can buy) is about € 10-12/kg. Frozen chicken breast isn't readily available here in most supermarkets.

Compare that to whey in Belgium: €16.99/kg but contains 82g of protein per 100g (while chicken has roughly 23g/100g). Protein powder costs €0.02 per gram of protein, skinless chicken breast €0.05.

What is the price of skinless chicken breast where you live, Luke? 70 or so Rand/kg? The siren call of protein powder to get in my protein goals is always so tempting because of how cheap it is compared to the cheapest whole food alternative. I'd much rather just eat a lot of actual chicken, and while I can afford it I kinda feel bad about it with a much cheaper alternative available (even though it's not real food ).

[lukepeter]

Between R60 and R72 for fresh, and between R40 and R50 for frozen.

It works out about the same g vs g of protein as my whey (around R300 for 2kg), whey is just so convenient that it has a permanent place in my life 😊

[PeteDenmark]

My days food varies quite significantly, I do my best to be respectful of my macro minimums, (getting between 140 and 160g protein, and 50-80g fat) and then eat whatever takes my fancy for the gaps...

Yesterday was 4 eggs (with some ketchup) for breakfast
Whey shake for lunch

2 carrots, and 2 biscuits for a snack when I got back from work

shrimp stirfry for dinner (300g stirfry mix, 200g shrimp, 80ml soya sauce, 40g honey, and garlic and ginger, 80g olive oil), half a pack of 2 min noodles with 15g of cheddar and some tomato sauce (my daughter requested noodles and then didn't finish them )

evening snack: one lettuce, three marshmellows, 30g almonds

Copious quantities of coke zero...

Macros : 146g protein, 152g carbs, 64g fat - for a total of 1731kcal.

That's pretty much how it goes, consistent breakfast and lunch (either eggs or chicken breast for breakfast, shake for lunch), with a wild mix of whatever is going for dinner, with protein being doubled or tripled from whatever the rest of the family is eating (we will make chicken ala-king with rice, and I will throw an extra 3 grilled breasts into my bowl)

Thank you .
That is some serous portion control. 300 grams of veg and 200 grams of meat would feel like a snack for me. I would love to feel satiated from that. That's great Luke.
I NEED the bulk - which is also why my relationship with food is warped.
IIFYM leaves plenty of room to experiment with flavors, and even candy and oils, but between 200 calories in 1 kg of cauliflower or the 200 calories in 2 tablespoons of flax seed oil, i will always go for the cauliflower, even if the oil might be what my body actually needs.

+1 for very large quantities of Coke Zero, or other aspartame or stevia sweetened beverages. 2 liters a day minimum here .

[Imp81318]

I'm with you on the portions - if I don't eat a larger serving of some low-calorie food at an earlier meal in favor of something more satisfying to my tastbuds or macros, I will pay for it by consuming something else later in the day to satisfy my hunger.

[PeteDenmark]

I'm with you on the portions - if I don't eat a larger serving of some low-calorie food at an earlier meal in favor of something more satisfying to my tastbuds or macros, I will pay for it by consuming something else later in the day to satisfy my hunger.

Yeah - i truly envy people who has bodies/brains, that reacts to the actual energy in the food, and not how much real estate it takes up in the stomach. Guess when you have been more than a little overweight, the body lowers it's sensitivity to Leptin, and only responds to the stomach actually being very full. Except for Luke - lucky bastard .

[lukepeter]

Let's be real here... My body doesn't react to anything short of 10 pieces of KFC as "OK that's enough now"...

It's a strong case of I know how much I have eaten, I know it is enough. I am just in a perpetual state of un satisfaction. My body also knows when I am trying to fool my stomach with large piles of veg. The cravings for salt and fat remain despite a belly full of broc****😊

Strong absence of luck bastards here...

[Imp81318]

I also get bad cravings for salty crunch in the evenings. The best solution that I’ve been able to come up with has been sunflower seeds, which is much better for my macro goals than pretzels or chips.